Although I’m aware of an unspoken and perceivable expectation for people to behave as though they’ve never appreciated music from artists who’ve been credibly accused or convicted of sexual crimes against minors, I can separate the artist from the art and I reject expectations requiring otherwise.
One such artist is Houston, Texas’ South Park Mexican (SPM). According to one source:
On May 18, 2002, [SPM] was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child [13-years-old], sentenced to 45 years in prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. He is currently serving his sentence at the Ramsey Unit in Rosharon, Texas, and would be eligible for parole on October 7, 2024, although his projected release date is on April 8, 2047.
Admittedly, I’ve enjoyed SPM’s music since the late ‘90s. Despite the fact that I don’t condone the actions for which he was convicted, I can appreciate what the rapper’s music has meant to me during different stages of my life.
Understandably, some people may not like this fact while upsetting themselves with beliefs about how a psychotherapist apparently ought to behave. I’ll provide a remedy to this issue through the psychoeducational lesson offered within the current blogpost.
On his 2001 album Never Change, SPM released a song entitled “I Must Be High,” featuring Russell Lee. Lyrics include:
Got love for the Crips, and Bloods, and Latin Kings
If it means anything, this for all my G’s
I’m in jail, ‘cause I forgot my fucking ABC’s
Another DWI, drunk and fucking high
I’ll be out before the motherfucking sun can touch the sky
I like how the rapper referenced gangsters (“G’s”) and used initialism “DWI” (driving while intoxicated), referencing how he forgot his “ABC’s,” when making clever use of letter representation in his lyrics. This form of lyricism suggests that careful thought was put into the content of the rap.
In any case, I further appreciate the suggestion relating to how forgetfulness of one’s ABC’s can result in unpleasant consequences such as ending up in an incarcerated status. This is where Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) comes into play.
REBT theory uses the ABC model to illustrate how when Activating events (“Actions”) occur and people maintain irrational Beliefs about the events, these unhelpful assumptions – and not the actual occurrences – are what create unpleasant cognitive, emotive, bodily sensation, and behavioral Consequences.
In particular, there are four predominate irrational beliefs which people use: demandingness, awfulizing, low frustration tolerance, and global evaluations. Addressing these, the ABC model incorporates Disputation of unhelpful assumptions in order to explore Effective new beliefs.
From a psychological standpoint, people disturb themselves using a Belief-Consequence (B-C) connection. Of course, this isn’t to suggest that in the context of the naturalistic or physical world there is no Action-Consequence (A-C) connection.
As an example, if an adult rapper engages in sexual activity with a 13-year-old (Action), there may be severe legal charges to follow (Consequence). This cause-and-effect experience represents the A-C connection, though doesn’t cause self-disturbance.
Rather, if a rapper receives a lengthy prison sentence (Action) and unproductively Believes, “This shouldn’t have happened to me, because I can’t stand being incarcerated,” then the rapper will likely disturb himself into a sorrowful, fearful, or angry disposition (Consequence).
Thus, I help people to stop upsetting themselves through use of B-C connections, though I can’t fully resolve their A-C connections. If there were a mathematical formula for the ABC model, it would be something like: Action + Belief = Consequence ÷ Disputation = Effective new belief.
I began my career in the field of care for mental, emotional, and behavior health (collectively “behavioral health”) by working with a criminal justice diversion program in Texas. Many of the personnel with whom I worked were incarcerated, because they, too, forgot their ABC’s.
Although people tend to think in A-C terms, it’s the B-C chain of events which led to most men and women on my caseload being placed in the Potter County Detention Center or the Lubbock County Detention Center. Thus, remembering ABC’s can be the separating factor between freedom and incarceration for some people.
In fact, prior to my understanding about behavioral health, I was booked into jail on one occasion and was placed into a military brig on two occasions, ‘cause I ostensibly forgot my fucking ABC’s. There’s no shame in admitting that I’ve made mistakes in my lifetime.
Likewise, people may not like that I value SPM’s music while upsetting themselves with beliefs about how a psychotherapist apparently ought to behave. They, too, can use the ABC model to un-disturb themselves.
If an REBT approach to rational living is something in which you may be interested, I look forward to hearing from you. After all, you don’t have to keep disturbing yourself with a B-C connection, and I can help you understand how to get out of your own way in this regard.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As the world’s foremost old school hip hop REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
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